The American coach Alberto Salazar has denied doping charges made by the BBC, who he accused of “inaccurate journalism” that was affecting his Olympic medallists Mo Farah and Galen Rupp.
Banned steroid
An investigation by the BBC television programme Panorama in association with American website ProPublica alleged that Salazar had given Farah’s training partner Rupp the banned anabolic steroid testosterone as a teenager. Rupp denies the allegation.
Detailed response
But the Cuban-born coach, who has worked as a consultant to UK Athletics for two years, plans to respond in detail to the accusations as soon as possible. “I have said all along that I believe in a clean sport, hard work, and I deny all allegations of doping,” he said in a statement released to The Guardian newspaper. “The BBC and ProPublica have engaged in inaccurate and unfounded journalism, with a complete lack of regard for both Galen and Mo.”
Farah angry
Farah pulled out of Sunday's Diamond League meeting in Birmingham and returned to the Nike Oregon Project to challenge Salazar to prove he has a clean record. There are no accusations of rule breaches against Farah, but the 32-year-old distance runner bemoaned his reputation being "dragged through the mud" in a heated news conference in Birmingham on Saturday.
‘False statements’
“Given the time and effort the BBC and ProPublica committed to making these false allegations I hope that media and fans will afford me a short time to show the accusers are knowingly making false statements,” Salazar said. “I will document and present the facts as quickly as I can so that Galen and Mo can focus on doing what they love and have worked so hard to achieve.”
London success
Briton Farah, 32, won the 5,000 and 10,000 metres double at the 2012 London Olympics. American Rupp, 29, took the silver medal in the 10,000. Both Farah and UK Athletics have refused to distance themselves from Salazar, choosing instead to seek answers from the coach.
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